We all know ‘slip, slop, slap’ when it comes to sun safety in Australia, and now the Night Time Industries Association has launched a new campaign, which it hopes will have consumers thinking about COVID safety on a night out.
The Check. Check. Check. campaign, which is aimed at people aged 18-35, highlights the importance of understanding and following COVID hygiene and safety procedures in every venue.
As venues need to have procedures in place for entry check-in, hand sanitising and physical distancing Check. Check. Check. calls on patrons to co-share the responsibility with venues for staying COVID-safe, with three key steps:
- CHECK in with their correct details at the door
- CHECK their hands by regularly washing and sanitising
- Keep themselves and their friends safe by keeping their physical distancing ‘in CHECK’
Michael Rodrigues, Chair of the NTIA, said: “The entire mission of the campaign is to support our venues in their efforts by showing patrons the simple steps they can take to stay safe whilst still having a great night out.
“Similar to Slip, Slop, Slap, but for indoors, the same way venues are prepping for customers before they arrive, punters need to establish new rituals before they leave the house. In addition to the usual ‘wallet, keys, phone’ moment most of us have before going out, we now need to also make sure we’ve got hand sanitiser and mask.”
He added: “COVID-19 has taken a massive toll on the hospitality sector in NSW, and another lockdown would be crippling, as we’ve seen in Melbourne. There are so many venues – bars, entertainment, cafes, restaurants – working their hearts out to bring cultural vibrancy to our lives in this pandemic. But venues can only go so far, we need punters to know the important part they have to play so this vital industry can stay open.”
Karl Schlothauer, President of the Independent Bar Association NSW, told Bars and Clubs he welcomes a campaign that encourages people and venues to work together on staying safe.
“Our industry has taken a huge hit during the pandemic, operators and venues have been asked to adapt to providing a COVID-safe experience,” he said.
“This campaign highlights the importance that the general public play in helping to keeping the hospitality scene alive and avoiding a second wave. If we can all Check. Check. Check. and we can keep venues open, keep people in jobs and continue experience what this great city has to provide”
The Committee for Sydney also welcomed the initiative, saying: “Hospitality has been hit hard by COVID and we all have a role to play to help it through these tough times. That includes taking personal responsibility to follow COVID-safe advice and guidance.
“This campaign is a great way of making sure we can all enjoy great nights out in Sydney without risking people’s health or venues shutting down.”
Check. Check. Check. will come into to life over the next few weeks, and the NTIA are encouraging venues to get behind the call-to-action with their patrons via a range of campaign materials that will be available to share in-venue and via online channels such as social media pages.
Rodrigues said: “The campaign will come to life through positive, social media share-able videos and images that we’ll be making available to all types of venues to share, along with posters, coasters and stickers for sinister bottles for on-premise.
“Keeping the nightlife industry going is critical for the NSW economy, the livelihoods of owners and employees, but also for the culture and community interaction going out gives so many people. Plus the mental health benefits of keeping this industry open, for those that work in the sector and patrons alike, cannot be underestimated – let’s use this campaign to strengthen the industry so it remains open for business.”
You can find out more about the campaign and get involved through the Check. Check. Check. website.
